The key question in the Gospel of John, and to some extent the whole New Testament is: who is Jesus and what does he do? This question is crucial for our understanding of God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We come to God the Father through Jesus. We find peace with God through Jesus. But today the question is a little different.
Today the question is: who is the Holy Spirit and what does he do? The Bible teaches that God is one. It also teaches that God is the Father. It teaches that Jesus is the eternal word of God. So he is God. It also teaches that God has a Spirit, and that this Spirit is God. So God is one. He is father, word (or son) and Holy Spirit. Today we will look at who the Holy Spirit is, what he does, and we’ll also ask a third question: where is the Holy Spirit. In your groups, we’ll ask practical and applied questions, and then we will pray at the end. For all three questions, we will look through our text. There are verse references next to the points on the slide.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Jesus says that he will leave this world. But he will ask the Father to give us the Spirit. So we can think of the Holy Spirit as doing Jesus’ work and bringing his presence on earth. He is Holy. That means that he is totally pure and completely God’s. In fact, he is God. He is Spirit. Jesus compares him to a wind or breath. We cannot see him, but we see his work. We sense him. He moves through the world, changing it and changing people. He is a friend and helper. We are powerless. God is all-powerful. He loves us and works in us. He does God’s work in us, as we will see. He is with us forever. He isn’t here simply to do a task, but he remains on the earth. He is God. In verses 18 and 19, Jesus says that he plays the role of Jesus on earth and comes from the Father. Jesus is God. So is the Holy Spirit.
Discuss in your groups: how have you experienced the work of the Holy Spirit? Talk about his impact on your life. If there is anything that has been difficult to understand, ask your group leader.
Where is the Holy Spirit? It seems as if this is a simple question. But it is an important question. The Holy Spirit will come to live in the disciples. He will not live in everybody, but only in the disciples. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive Jesus. We receive life. Jesus calls this being born a second time. When we believe in Jesus, we receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. God comes to live in us. So although the Holy Spirit works in the world, he only lives in those who have trusted in Jesus. These are the ones who have been purified from sin. The Holy Spirit gives us a relationship with God. Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. And because the Holy Spirit gives us love for God and each other, we are all together like a temple of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit lives in us. But sometimes our lives are dark and we disobey God. Are we keeping the Holy Spirit out of our lives in some way? How can that happen?
What does the Holy Spirit do? We cannot understand what Jesus does without understanding who he is. It is the same for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us obey God. This doesn’t mean only outward actions. Our biggest challenge is our hearts. The Holy Spirit changes our hearts. God comes to live inside us. We become a temple for the Holy Spirit. This changes us. It changes us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. We cannot understand the truth of God with our minds alone. Our hearts must understand the Holy Spirit too. Holiness is a gift of God. We cannot manufacture it ourselves. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus’ teaching. He shows us the inner reality of God’s word. Before I received the Holy Spirit, I did not understand the Bible at all. After I received the Holy Spirit, it seemed like a different book. The Holy Spirit gives us peace. This world is difficult, troubled and full of pain. But the Holy Spirit gives us God’s peace in difficult times.
We will pray to receive the Holy Spirit. We must understand who he is. We must believe. The Holy Spirit comes through Jesus and his work on the cross. We receive the Holy Spirit when we trust in Jesus. We must desire to follow Jesus. We must desire this gift of God. And we must offer God our hearts. Are we blocking the work of the Holy Spirit. Surrender all of those obstacles to God as we pray.
